A Deadly Snake
by Italian writer
Summary: Steel is about to live the most terrible experience in his whole life, and it can only get worse, but he won't be left alone to face it.
1. Chapter 1

Three notes for the readers: 1) the prologue introduces a female character, who in my mind looks like the actress Halle Berry; 2) the characters of my story are a bit more emotional than the original series, so consider yourselves warned! 3) Last but not least: I would like to thank girl in the glen for beta reading my story and for fixing all the language mistakes I made. Her help has been invaluable and her work highly professional.

* * *

PROLOGUE

It was only the third time in his long career as a time agent that Steel received a red code: immediate assignment to assist a fellow operator. No information, no briefing, nothing at all; just an emergency call to Earth.

When he materialized – _alone_ – inside a flat, he had no time to wonder why Sapphire wasn't with him. He immediately noticed a figure crouched in a corner, weeping. It was a woman, and her mocha-colored skin and short black hair were somewhat familiar. He took a closer look and finally recognized her: Jet.

Steel was about to approach her when a sudden sense of loss took his breath away. He collapsed on his knees, lacerated by an excruciating rip.

He had never experienced such a heart-wrenching feeling before, but he knew what the cause was. He sobbed…

"Sapphire."

Only then the woman noticed his presence.

"Steel. You too?"

Two desperate grey eyes lifted to look at the woman.

"Sapphire is dead. Our link has been severed."

Jet crawled to reach her fellow operator and put a trembling hand on his arm in a feeble attempt at comforting him.

"Not necessarily. Maybe she's never been born."

Steel was confused.

"What?"

Jet tried to pull him away from the numbness she knew he was experiencing.

"Maybe Sapphire is not dead. Maybe somebody prevented her from being born."

"What difference does it make?" He moaned. "She's not here anymore. I lost her."

A tear was slowly running down his cheek as Jet shook him.

"Good heavens, man, get a grip on yourself!"

She tried to forget that she had been crying uncontrollably until Steel arrived. She was glad to be distracted from her own grief.

Jet's words seemed to shake him from his anguish, and with a visible effort Steel tried to recover himself as he stood unsteadily, leaning against a wall for support. After a few moments, he looked at the woman with pained eyes and asked, in a still shaky voice.

"Jet, what happened?"

"Radium and I were sent to fix a time anomaly caused by an earthling. We found out that it was a woman; more specifically a professional killer, who uses a time device to travel into her victims' past in order to kill them. When she's back to her own time she's not subject to investigations."

Just then Steel noticed the lack of the woman's partner. "Where is he? Where's Radium?"

She averted her eyes to prevent him from seeing the deep pain she was experiencing.

"The killer found out about us and somehow discovered Radium's name. With that, she easily ascertained his year of birth, when radium was discovered. She went back to 1898 and prevented Marie Curie from coming across the element. My partner has never been born."

Steel was stunned by the implications.

"If radium has never been discovered, then the whole history of nuclear energy has changed."

"Yes. Earth is completely different now. Time entered an alternative corridor, the continuum has been seriously compromised."

Steel asked, "Why Sapphire?"

"It probably has something to do with the period she and Radium were working together. Do you remember? It was when you and I were partners."

Steel considered.

"Yes, I remember Sapphire once told me that Radium saved her life during their first assignment together."

The realization of what had happened made his last hopes crumble.

"But if Radium wasn't there to save her, then she's really dead."

He lowered his face to hide his grief-stricken eyes.

Jet approached Steel and tentatively put a hand on his cheek. When he looked into her eyes, she spoke resolutely.

"We will save them, Steel. We will stop that woman and restore the time continuum."

Too disheartened to talk, Steel just nodded unconvincingly.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER ONE

The two operators stayed silent for a few minutes, each one immersed in grief until Steel decided it was time to react. Jet was right: by restoring the time continuum, they had a chance to bring back their two partners.

"Jet, I want you to tell me all the details of your assignment."

The woman sat down on a chair with a sigh, and started her narration.

"The authority discovered that someone on Earth was tampering with time, and sent us to investigate. We found out that this woman, who calls herself Viper – a well-deserved nickname, I must say – owns an ancient lute with a very peculiar power. The lute brings the player to the same year of the song that is being played. So this Viper, who murders people for a living, just plays a song that was created in the same year she wants to be transported to, kills her victim, and then she plays a song created in her own time. That's it. Nobody will ever suspect her, because the investigations take place in the past, when she hasn't been born yet or was just a child."

In spite of himself, Steel was impressed. "Very clever. And where did she find that lute?"

"She inherited it from her great-great-great-grandfather, who was an alchemist. She was the first in her family to discover its power, because nobody else knew how to play."

"How did she find out about you and Radium?"

"That I haven't discovered yet, but it probably happened during our first contact. I suspect she knows about the existence of time agents, somehow. Her ancestor might have left some notes on time authorities together with the lute. After all, he was a scholar regarding time: if he discovered about its anomalies, it probably speculated on the existence of some regulatory body, too. I think she heard me calling him by his name. Our first encounter was somewhat… chaotic, and I really don't remember what we said. I only know that we barely made it out alive. That woman is dangerous, much deadlier than a real Viper."

Steel pondered this information.

"So once she knew his name, she played a song from 1898, traveled back in time and somehow prevented Madame Curie from discovering the element; probably by killing her and her husband. No more radium, no more operator. And no more Sapphire."

"A bit of collateral damage, I would think."

"Yes. The time implications are inconceivably serious. Earth has not entered the atomic era. Maybe Hitler won the war. Maybe the world has depleted all fossil fuels and has no more sources of energy. Maybe space exploration hasn't started yet. You name it. How can she not care about such outcomes on her own world?"

Jet smiled unhappily. "Simply because that's not her own world. Whenever her lute brings her back to the present, she reappears in the original timeline. The only difference is that the person she has killed is not there anymore. No other consequences. History has not been changed."

Now Steel was really struck. "Not only her ancestor mastered time travel, he also managed to cancel the time paradoxes it creates. Outstanding."

Jet corrected him.

"Scary."

Steel looked at her, puzzled.

"But if there are no consequences, why the collateral damage? Why is Sapphire dead?"

She answered: "Good question. I think she has the power of deciding the outcomes of her time travels, down to the smallest details. She probably just wanted her to die. One less time agent to worry about."

Steel narrowed his eyes, which were now the color of a stormy ocean.

"She will regret her decision."

For the first time since the loss of Radium, Jet felt hope. She was teamed with her old partner again, and she knew that Steel was probably the only one who could defeat their dreadful opponent, especially if he had to save Sapphire.

Jet remembered when she and Steel were partners. She enjoyed working with him, although they were so different: ice and fire; logic and passion; ruthlessness and sympathy. Yet they taught each other how to smooth the extremes. She knew why the authority decided to switch teams with Radium and Sapphire: Jet was getting emotionally involved. She was shifting their relationship to a more personal level, and a human died because she wanted to save Steel, forgetting that their top priority was to fix time anomalies at the cost of their own lives, not the other way around.

Radium was more suited to her character: whenever her temper flared, he just absorbed her fury and waited until the storm passed. Working with him was more relaxing and soothing. She had become very fond of him, although it was far from what she felt for Steel. But that helped her concentrate on her work, so she had to admit it was for the better.

She didn't know what Steel felt for Sapphire, but she suspected it was very similar to what Jet had felt for him. The only difference was that Steel didn't make the mistake of exploring that feeling. This assignment was certainly bound to stir some deeply buried emotions, for all parties involved.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER TWO

Steel looked around.

"Why this place? Is there a specific reason?"

"Yes. The authority always rematerializes me near the place where Viper is hiding. I suspect she's somewhere around here."

"But this is an apartment building. There must be hundreds of flats like this one, not to mention all the surrounding buildings. How are we supposed to find her?"

"I can feel the energy waves her lute gives out whenever she activates it. I can bring you to the exact spot she's hiding, but only after she has already moved out of time."

"Still better than nothing. So we just wait?"

Jet knew how much Steel hated inactivity.

"I'm afraid so, yes."

"Tell me about her weapons. I want to be prepared."

"She has her little private arsenal of long-range rifles, guns, silencers, knives; you name it. The only things she doesn't like to use are explosives. They attract too much unwanted attention, I believe. She is also a martial arts pro, she could knock down Lead with a single twist of her wrist. When Radium and I confronted her, she almost killed us both. Only our powers saved us, barely."

"She must have a weak point."

"If she has, we haven't found it yet."

"Well, next time we meet her we will have to. I will draw her attention, and you will observe her."

"Just be careful, Steel, and don't underestimate her."

"I won't. Now tell me about this lute. Can it be destroyed?"

"I'm sure it can, but the problem is that no one can touch it, except its owner. It's protected by a force field."

"What is the power source of this force field?"

"I have no idea. I'm not very good at this kind of technical details. We could use Silver's skills in this particular circumstance."

"Unfortunately Silver is quite busy on another important assignment. We will have to discover it on our own. I'm sure you can detect a source of energy of such intensity."

"I cannot guarantee anything when that woman is involved, but I will try."

The two operators fell silent, each trying to concoct a plan to accomplish their mutual goals. Suddenly Jet stiffened, and Steel asked her.

"What is it?"

"The lute has been activated. It's right above us."

"You mean we were this close to her without knowing it?"

"Yes, but it's the first time. Probably the authority is getting attuned to its energy waves. Hurry, let's go upstairs."

They both ran to the apartment above. Steel deftly picked the door lock and they entered, quickly searching the place before Jet exclaimed…

"Look!"

She pointed at a music stand right in the middle of the living room that held a score. They read the title and the year of creation of the song.

"_Let It Be_, the Beatles, 1970."

Steel asked: "What happens if we teleport to that same year? Will we end up in the same place she's operating?"

Jet shook her head.

"No. We will be in a nearby area, within a radius of approximately one mile. But we will have no way of knowing where she is and what she's doing. We might as well wait for her to return. We will at least have the element of surprise."

"Very well", Steel said. "You hide in a place where you can observe without being detected, and I will try to buy you as much time as I can. As soon as things get out of hand, I want you to teleport back to the downstairs apartment, is that understood?"

The woman agreed.

"Yes, Steel. But that goes for you too."

He did not answer, and Jet knew that it was no use to ask Steel to be cautious, he never was during an assignment. She hid inside a closet and left the door slightly open: she had a perfect view of the living room and was virtually invisible from the outside.

Steel sat on an armchair and patiently waited. He didn't have time to get bored, in less than five minutes the air in front of the music stand got thicker as strong energy waves started to emanate from the spot and a human figure began to materialize. Steel rapidly moved behind the woman, grabbing her arms as she appeared so that the lute fell to the floor. He had hoped to destroy the time device, but much to his dismay the instrument just bounced on the floor and did not break. The force field was effectively protecting it.

Steel applied all his strength to immobilize the woman, but she quickly bent forward and shook him off her back as though he was weightless. He fell hard on the floor, and before he had a chance to stand up the killer had already extracted a lethal-looking knife from a sheath securely fastened to her calf. She plunged it into Steel's stomach with all her might. The agent barely had time to instinctively harden his core, thus preventing the blade from penetrating his flesh. When the blade ineffectively slid on his skin the killer momentarily lost her balance, allowing Steel to flip around and use his own weight to pin her to the ground. He immediately understood why she called herself Viper: it was like trying to hold a snake. He fervently hoped that Jet was succeeding in her analysis, because he knew he was rapidly losing the struggle. Despite his superior physical strength, she was deftly slipping away from his hold.

As soon as the woman freed herself she prepared to confront her opponent again. Steel moved away from her and promptly hit the lute with all his might. The blow would have opened a hole in a concrete wall, but it fell harmlessly on the instrument. As soon as Viper realized Steel was trying to destroy her lute, she doubled her efforts, and extracted a small gun from an inside pocket of her jacket. Viper aimed it at the time agent, who barely had the time to duck, avoiding the bullet that he knew was not as harmless to him as a metal knife. He was much more resistant than a human being, but a bullet shot from such a short distance could very easily hurt him while in human shape, possibly even kill him.

Steel quickly took cover behind the sofa, while the killer discharged the entire chamber at him. The detonations resounded in the small room and momentarily deafened him, so when the gun stopped firing he could not rely on his hearing to assess her bearings. But he distinctly heard Jet's desperate shout.

"Watch out!"

He felt the heat long before he saw the flames painfully licking his skin; the killer was using a flamethrower! The sofa was already in flames, and Steel had no choice but to stand back and lose his cover. His skin was already covered with painful blisters. He rolled to his side, and ran toward the lute as fast as he could, hoping to expose it to the searing heat, but the woman never stopped throwing deadly flames at him. Viper knew that the force field was effectively protecting the time device.

Half of the apartment was now in flames, including the closet where Jet was hiding. Fire could not hurt her: it was her element and she mastered it, but Steel didn't and had no choice but to rapidly teleport away before being suffocated by the smoke or burnt by the quickly spreading fire. Before dematerializing, they got a glimpse of the killer grabbing her lute, hastily playing a song and promptly disappearing.

They rematerialized in the apartment below, where the ceiling was starting to burn. They felt the hot waves coming down from above them and ran outside. Jet stopped to sound the fire alarm system and activate the sprinklers after they failed to start automatically. The killer had most likely tampered with the smoke detectors. Before they could be trapped among all the people running outside their apartments, the two agents teleported away.

Steel and Jet reappeared in another apartment, but the view outside the windows was completely different since they were in another town entirely. They knew that Viper was not far, but had no way of knowing where exactly.

Steel decided to search all the neighboring flats, but before he reached the door he realized rest was needed. The burns were taking their toll, his hands and face were badly burnt and they hurt. For the nth time, Steel marveled at how weak they were while in human form. He sat heavily on a chair, and Jet was immediately at his side with a wet cloth. Before he could complain, she delicately applied it over his burns as he hissed in pain.

She said: "I know it hurts, but this will help. Just stay still."

He cast her a disapproving look, but didn't say anything. He had to admit the cold was soothing.

While she was focused on her task, he looked at her, searching for injuries. He asked:

"Are you all right?"

She smiled. "No, but thank you for asking."

He frowned. "What's wrong?"

She stopped her ministrations and looked into his grey eyes.

"I thought she had killed you, too. I was reminded of the last time we worked together."

His eyes softened. "You should try to forget about that. It's all in the past now."

"I know, but it's not easy. You know, I was sure I had forgotten all about it up until a few minutes ago, but seeing you in danger has brought back all those buried memories. I really can't help it."

Steel's lips creased in a small smile.

"You've always been too emotional. That's what I disliked the most about you. And also what I liked the most."

Jet smiled, too. "Not your typical no-nonsense analysis, I would say."

"It was always difficult to apply a logical reasoning when you were involved. You were the only one who managed to deeply confound me."

Her smile disappeared. "And what about Sapphire?"

At that, Steel's expression turned somber again.

"What about her?"

"Does she also confound you?"

"No. Her mind is an open book, and I suppose my mind is as easily readable for her."

"Two of a kind, eh?"

"Not quite. We are very different, but we complement each other. We work very well together."

Jet wanted to ask him what he really felt for her, but she knew that he would shut himself up like a clam. So he took her by surprise when he added, with an uncharacteristically sweet smile.

"I know what you are wondering, but I cannot give you an answer; everything gets quite fuzzy when Sapphire is involved. I really wouldn't know how to describe our relationship."

She could not resist smiling back at him.

"It's all right. Some questions are better left unanswered."

Steel finished the thought.

"And some answers are better left unquestioned."

Then he stood up, feeling that his burns had already been healed by his elemental powers.

"I'm going to search the surrounding dwellings."

Before he reached the door, though, Jet called him.

"Wait! It's no use. She will hurt you again. You've seen how powerful and well armed she is. We should discuss what I detected while I was hiding instead."

Steel turned, surprised.

"You mean you actually found her power source?"

"Well, not exactly, but I did feel a change in the texture of time while she was rematerializing. Almost as if time itself warped around the lute."

"You mean that time itself is protecting the device? There is no power source?"

"That's right."

Steel resumed a somber expression.

"Now I know why she decided to kill Sapphire: she's directly related to time, they have something in common, and she was the only one who could destroy the lute, or at least prevent her use of it."

Jet added, her tone pensive.

"It could very well be that Radium, and not Sapphire, was the collateral damage. Perhaps she was the real target, and not him; Viper prevented Radium's discovery only to keep him from saving Sapphire."

Steel nodded. "I think you're right. She deliberately killed Sapphire."

His voice dropped by an octave and sounded frightfully threatening to Jet's ears. She knew, without any doubts, that Steel would kill Viper at the first opportunity.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER THREE

Steel needed a course of action. Wandering about the area searching for the killer was too dangerous and also quite useless. That woman was far too lethal to be treated like an ordinary human being, and every action had to be carefully planned.

He mulled over their encounter and tried to find a weak spot in her reactions, but he couldn't find any. Viper didn't panic over his attack, she never uttered a word and immediately defended herself with increasingly deadly weapons, as if to assess her opponent's strength. She probably was more concerned about the lute than her own safety, and didn't hesitate to destroy her hiding place in order to protect it.

He spoke aloud to Jet.

"When she fled from the burning apartment, Viper played her lute. Does that mean that she can move out of place, and not only out of time?"

Jet agreed.

"You're right! If she had moved out of time only, she had to come back to the same place, that is the apartment. But we rematerialized in a different town, and that means that she did the same. But we are in our own time, so she just moved somewhere, and not sometime, else."

"I think she just has to play a contemporary song, and that takes her to a different place along the same timeline. Could very well be the place where the song was originally composed."

"The powers of that device are outstanding. It cannot be allowed to exist any longer. We must destroy it at any cost."

Steel looked at her with a questioning expression in his grey eyes.

"Do you mean at the cost of our partners' lives?"

Looking straight ahead, she answered him.

"If need be."

Steel moved right in front of Jet and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Sorry, I cannot allow that."

She protested.

"Do you realize this is the same situation I went through when I sacrificed that human's life to save yours? Only we are talking about the lives of many people this time. The authority will never accept your decision if we have to choose between destroying that blasted lute and saving our partners."

"I take full responsibility for the outcomes of this assignment. You see, I am positive that the existence of that device and our partners' lives are directly connected. If we destroy it, we will also cancel all the consequences of its owner's actions."

She asked: "What if you're wrong?"

He smiled. "The Jet I used to know was much more optimistic."

She could not resist smiling back.

"The Jet you used to know is a bit more experienced, now. But if you find a way to save our partners and successfully conclude our assignment, I will be glad to comply with your decisions."

"Good. What do you suggest we should try next?"

"What if we fight her with your freezing powers?"

"Mmm, it might work, but I need Lead to insulate me. I don't want to be completely helpless should my powers be ineffective."

"Fine. I'll help you summon him."

The two agents concentrated and sent a mental call to their fellow operator, who promptly appeared after a few minutes.

"Steel, Jet, it's nice to see you both."

The giant's face was not as jolly and smiling as usual.

"I heard what happened to Sapphire and Radium. I grieve with you."

Jet did not hide her pain, and although Steel did his best to pretend he was not suffering at the loss of his partner, Lead saw right through his mask of coldness; he put a comforting hand on the agent's tense shoulder. For once, Steel did not frown at his friend and accepted his sympathy by slightly relaxing his muscles.

Steel briefed Lead on the situation and on their next move; the big operator agreed with their plan.

"Very well, Steel. I will insulate you while you try to freeze that woman, but in case you fail I want to lay my hands on her."

Steel warned his friend: "Just be careful, Lead. She's heavily armed, and although a bullet cannot hurt you, she has many other weapons that might seriously damage you, not to mention the fact that she's as sneaky as a real Viper, and equally deadly."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The three operators sat down and prepared themselves for a long wait.

ooo

Jet knew that Lead loved to eat, so she decided to kill time cooking something for him, while Steel was silently standing in front of a window, arms crossed, looking outside and not moving a muscle. When the meal was ready, she and Lead ate in the kitchen, leaving their colleague alone with his thoughts in the living room.

The food was good and Lead commented, smiling happily:

"This is very tasty, Jet. You're as good a cook as Sapphire, and believe me, it's a big compliment I'm paying you."

She smiled back. "Thank you, Lead. I know that Sapphire is very good at cooking and that she loves doing that for you. After all, Steel is far too sober to enjoy such a human activity."

Lead commented while happily munching a particularly tasty dish.

"Don't underestimate our friend's capability to enjoy human activities."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing more than what I just said: Steel can be very human in his reactions, sometimes, although he would never care to admit that, not even to himself."

"Especially when Sapphire is involved, is that what you're trying to tell me?" she asked.

The glimmer in Lead's eyes was an unmistakable reply.

Jet continued the conversation while busying herself with pots and pans.

"I'm sure that you, like everybody else, have speculated about the reasons why Steel and I were switched with Sapphire and Radium."

"We work in a relatively small community, and word spreads very quickly. Much has been said about what happened back then, but only those who were closest to the two of you really understood the situation. Once you find out what Steel is hiding behind that mask of callousness he likes to wear, it's difficult not to care for him, isn't it?" he asked with a knowing smile.

Jet sat in front of Lead and looked straight into his gentle black eyes.

"Sapphire loves him, doesn't she?"

Lead's smile disappeared. "Honestly, Jet, I have no idea. I don't know Sapphire half as well as I know Steel, and she can be very difficult to read, sometimes. Despite her openness, she can hide her feelings very well. But I do know Steel, and I'm sure that he could not live without her anymore. If this assignment fails, our mutual friend is bound to go through hell."

They both fell silent, and Jet let Lead finish his meal without speaking anymore, trying to accept his painful words.

ooo

A couple of hours later Jet tensed again, and promptly warned her colleagues that the lute had been activated again.

Steel asked: "Where is it?"

"We are not as close this time: it's in a house opposite this building."

"Let's go."

They moved toward the door, but disappeared before reaching it, only to rematerialize at the front door of a small house.

Steel tried the lock, but it was open, so they all went inside.

The hall led to a large open space with a living room, a dining table and a kitchen. Another music stand was set right in the middle of the room. Without hesitations, Jet approached it to read the score, but Steel warned her.

"Wait! There's something wrong."

She turned and looked at him, surprised.

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but it all seems a bit too easy."

"Everything is just like the last time."

"Precisely. Don't you think she should have taken some precautions this time?"

Before Jet had a chance to reply, the killer appeared from another room and, without warning, started shooting at the three operators with a small but powerful machine gun. All hell broke loose, bullets were flying everywhere. Lead yelled out.

"Steel, Jet! Stay behind me!"

He was trying to shield his fellow agents with his body that was immune to the cluster of deadly lead, but they were both hit. Before Steel could lower his body temperature to absolute zero, he went down, holding his leg. Jet was sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, motionless.

Although he fiercely wanted to attack the killer, Lead had no choice but to protect his friends instead. He picked up both of them from the floor as if they were weightless, and teleported them back to safety.

As soon as they rematerialized in their apartment, Lead gently lay them down on the floor and hastily teleported back to the killer's house, but the place was empty. He rapidly searched every room, but Viper had already fled.

Lead went back to the apartment to tend to his friends. The sight was appalling; Steel was holding Jet's limp body in his lap, trying desperately to revive her. His leg was bleeding, but he didn't seem to care. He was calling her with a shaky voice.

"Jet? Please answer me."

Lead knelt in front of them and looked at her injuries. She was bleeding profusely from half a dozen bullet wounds, most of them on her torso. A thin trickle of blood was slowly running from the corner of her mouth. Steel caressed her short hair and softly talked in her mind.

_Jet, hold on, we will take care of you. Can you hear me? Jet!_

The woman slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, and finally focused on Steel's worried face. She tried to speak, but the effort made her cough, and more blood ran from her mouth. Steel pleaded.

"Don't speak. Save your breath."

But Jet stubbornly tried to talk. After a few more coughs, she finally managed to utter a few words.

"Steel. Don't... leave.. me."

He softly stroked her face.

"Of course I won't leave you. I'll hold you until you're completely healed. Soon your elemental powers will mend your injuries."

But they both knew that her wounds were too serious; Jet was dying.

She spoke again, raising a trembling hand to caress his cheek.

"I wish... I had a second chance. I wish I... could make you... love me."

A teardrop started to slowly run down his face.

"Oh, but you did, Jet. A long time ago."

She managed a weak smile, but then her hand fell limply on the side and her eyes closed. Steel called her.

"Jet! Please, stay with me! JET!"

Lead murmured in a quiet voice.

"She's gone, Steel."

Steel hugged her tight, and did not bother to hide his pain. He had lost both of his two partners in less than twenty four hours, two of the most important women in his life. He felt devastated, but he knew that it was not the time to grieve. He still had a chance to save them all, if only he could stop that deadly woman.

Jet's body dematerialized, and he found himself holding empty air. Only when he tried to stand, he realized that he had been hit. His wounded leg gave and he fell heavily back on the floor. Lead said,

"Easy, Steel. You should stop the bleeding and give your body a chance to heal before trying to fight back."

Steel looked up at his friend and said, in a cold voice: "We must stop that killer, Lead, at any cost."

"Yes. Tell me what you want me to do."

Steel talked while trying to plug the bleeding wound in his leg.

"You called me by my name back in the house. That means that now she knows who I am, and she will undoubtedly try to erase me from history."

Lead was mortified.

"Oh no! Steel, I'm sorry. I doomed you."

But Steel reassured him.

"No, Lead, you doomed her. I know she will go back to the year steel was discovered and try to kill the person who first mixed iron with carbon. We will be there, waiting for her. She will not be expecting us and will not set up any more traps. I will freeze her and you will insulate me."

"What if you fail?"

"In that case, I will be erased from the time continuum, and you will have to fight her alone. Do whatever you deem necessary to stop her."

Lead nodded, and his resolute expression reassured Steel.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FOUR

Despite Lead's protests, Steel just tightened a cloth around his thigh to slow down the blood loss and, leaning heavily on his huge friend for support, laboriously stood. They mentally contacted their authority for teleportation to the place of Steel's point of origination; to the time when he came into existence.

Agents rarely resorted to time travel, but the seriousness of the situation called for exceptional measures: three agents had already died and the time continuum had been severely compromised. The authority was willing to do anything that Steel deemed necessary to stop the threat that named herself Viper.

They rematerialized in 1856 at Charlton, Hertfordshire, England, outside the residence of Sir Henry Bessemer. Here was the man who first invented steel by eliminating the excess carbon from cast iron by heating it at extremely high temperatures.

The men rapidly took their bearings, and Steel decided that Sir Bessemer had to have a workshop outside the house since his experiments required the use of dangerous forges. He and Lead walked around the extensive garden until they saw a solid-looking brick structure with a chimney that exhaled a black, thick smoke.

Steel and Lead silently approached the smithy, covered by the loud noises coming from the inside. When they opened the door, they saw the back of a man covered in thick protective clothes and wearing a mask made of iron and glass, who was busy gazing into what looked like a cauldron.

Lead involuntarily touched Steel's arm, and his hand was immediately covered with a layer of frost. He was surprised, and asked…

"You've iced yourself up, already? How do you know she's going to strike now?"

"This is the exact moment Sir Bessemer is going to eliminate most of the carbon content from cast iron, and reach the exact percentage of 2.06%, thus virtually creating steel. The event was officially recorded and was published by the London Times on August the 14th, 1856, which is tomorrow. She is bound to attack him now. Let's hide in a place where we cannot be seen but can react rapidly."

Easier said than done for Lead, who was as big as a bear, but he somehow managed to hide his huge body behind a pillar to the right of the door. Steel easily hid his much thinner and shorter figure behind the left pillar. He kept lowering his inner temperature until he felt that it had reached absolute zero. He fervently hoped that Viper would appear soon, because he was able to keep such a low temperature for only a limited time.

While he was waiting for the killer to make her appearance, Steel could not help but think about Sapphire and Jet. He had not witnessed Sapphire's death, but the excruciating tear caused by her sudden disappearance left a wound he knew would not heal. She was so much more than just a business associate, so much more than just a trusted friend. He could not find a word for the role Sapphire played in his life, but it was essential. Steel knew that, without her, he could not feel whole any longer. He already felt exceedingly alone without her thoughts in his mind, and the blond agent missed her physical presence as well.

Steel was aware that he was sometimes harsh with Sapphire, but knew her to be more capable than she thought. Even though her powers consumed all of her energies at times, one of Steel's tasks was to push Sapphire beyond her limits. She never held a grudge in spite of what some considered his mistreatment of her; his guilt weighed on him as he considered how fragile she truly was.

Steel had never realized before how important Sapphire was to him. It was she who could calm him with a simple smile whenever his temper flared, who could ease his hyperactive mind with the simple touch of her soothing hand on his shoulder. Sapphire alone could disrupt his logical thoughts just by looking at him with her incredible blue eyes, and only his partner made him appreciate the sensations he could feel when in human form.

It was the feel of her skin under his fingers and the silky texture of her blonde hair; the softness of her full lips that caused his heartbeat to accelerate whenever they kissed, although that happened rather infrequently. Too infrequently.

Steel's next thought, of course, was for Jet. He was fully aware of her feelings for him, since the time they were working together; he had deliberately chosen not to reciprocate them to avoid the distractions they would have caused.

Despite what his fellow operators thought, Steel was not as cold and controlled as some other elements, such as Nitrogen. He was intense and passionate, maybe too much for his own good, and was forced to hide those traits behind a mask of harshness. Sapphire knew that, and appreciated that facet of his character without really acknowledging it, thus allowing him to keep his cover.

But Jet was a flame that both attracted and repelled him at the same time, and he instinctively knew that he could not allow the luxury of reciprocating her love. Still, holding her in his arms while she was dying had been excruciating, and seeing those soft brown eyes close for the last time was a sight he would not forget.

Steel fervently hoped that he would not survive this assignment should his plan fail. He knew it was a very unprofessional and self-centered thought, but he was too tired to keep fighting the feeling of loss since the death of his two partners.

His morose thoughts were interrupted by a soft sound coming from the door of the smithy. Viper, no doubt.

The killer stealthily entered the room. She was still holding her lute in her left hand, while her right hand was clutching a thin, extremely sharp throwing knife. Steel let her take a few steps forward, and then silently positioned himself behind the woman. Simultaneously, Lead placed his huge hands over Steel's shoulders to insulate him. When Viper raised her right hand to throw the knife at the unsuspecting chemist's back Steel clutched it, and waited to see if his freezing powers were effective.

They weren't. The woman was startled, but she did not cover in frost. She reacted as fast as lightning, though, and turned to face her foe. When she saw who it was, she made a small wicked smile, and immediately lifted her right knee to violently hit Steel's injured thigh, reopening his wound. He yelled in pain and almost fell, but Lead's hold kept him upright. The huge operator reached with his free hand to hit the woman in the head, but he could not hurt her. Steel spoke in his mind.

_It's no use. The force field protecting her instrument is also protecting her_.

Despite all the commotion, though, Steel noticed that her knee had started to cover in frost; the killer winced in astonishment and pain. He immediately made the connection: where her body touched his elemental blood, the force field was somehow ineffective. Now that he had finally found out the weak point, the thing he had been searching for since the beginning of his assignment, it was easy to make the only decision that was left.

Steel grabbed the killer's hand that still held the knife, and deliberately forcing his core to not harden, he thrust the deadly tool straight into his heart. The pain was searing, but still less than what he felt when each of his partners had died. He somehow found the strength to extract the knife, then embraced the killer, letting his blood copiously flow on her body. Her astonished expression turned into horror when she understood the purpose of his unexpected action. Wherever his blood touched her body, her skin covered in frost, freezing muscles, joints, bones and organs. They both started to slowly fall down, still embraced in a deadly hug.

The last thing Steel saw before closing his eyes were Viper's own wide-opened eyes as they were quickly being covered in frost. There was not enough time to instinctively send a last mental call to Sapphire before dying. Steel's slashed heart stopped beating and his mind surrendered to oblivion.


	6. Chapter 6

EPILOGUE

He sensed her presence long before smelling her perfume, felt her cool hand on his hot forehead. Steel forced his eyes open to look at her attractive face, although he knew that Sapphire could not really be there.

But the voice that spoke in his mind was unmistakable.

_It's me, Steel. I'm here with you_.

Of course he died, didn't he? And he had reached her wherever it was that the elements went when they passed away. It could not be that bad, if Sapphire was with him. In fact, he couldn't ask for more. Now he knew why the earthlings called it Paradise.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, he noticed that he was lying on a bed. Sapphire was seated beside him, looking at him with a smile on her nicely shaped lips and a glimmer in her beautiful blue eyes. Seeing her again was so mind-boggling, he had to blink a few times before believing his own eyes. When Steel took in the entire picture, he could see Jet, Radium and Lead behind Sapphire, all of them smiling at him.

Lead's voice boomed out a greeting.

"Welcome back, Steel!"

The blond element forced his uncooperative voice to utter a question.

"Back where?"

Sapphire answered him.

"Back to life. You destroyed Viper, and all the consequences of her actions have been erased. Time is flowing in the right direction once more, and all the people that she has killed during her time travels are alive again. Including you."

Steel touched his heart to check, but he could feel no deadly wound. It was beating reassuringly with its usual rhythmical pace.

Jet smiled warmly as she added her comments.

"You were wrong after all. It wasn't the lute that had to be destroyed to restore the time continuum, it was its owner."

Steel was confused.

"How do you know?"

Radium answered, raising his hand and showing the instrument he was holding.

"Because the lute is right here, safe and sound. Although not for long."

Jet added, "You were lucky you forced Viper to kill you: had you done it yourself, you would still be dead."

Sapphire spoke in his mind, shielding her thoughts from all the other fellow operators.

_I know what you're thinking, that it would have been worth it; but I wouldn't have agreed. And I suspect I would not be the only one!_

Her eyes were sparkling as Steel answered.

_I never realized Jet suffered that much when our team was broken up._

Now Sapphire looked pensive.

_I can sympathize with her. Losing you would be too painful to bear._

Steel commented.

_At least you have an idea of what I went through when you were taken from me._

Sapphire's expression brightened again.

_I think we will never be broken up: neither of us would allow that to happen._

He smiled warmly at her.

_Never._

Jet's expression saddened a little when she saw that affectionate smile on Steel's face, knowing that it was meant only for Sapphire. She forced her voice to sound cheerful when she asked the question.

"So, who gets the honor of destroying this blasted instrument? Sapphire has already disrupted its force field, so it's completely vulnerable, now."

Radium quickly proposed an answer.

"I think you should do it, Jet: you deserve it."

All the other operators nodded their agreement, so Jet took the lute and, holding it in her hands, concentrated hard. After a few seconds, the temperature of its molecules rose dramatically, and the instrument started burning from the inside. One minute later, it was but a wretched pile of smoking embers on the floor.

Lead commented happily: "Well, one less time device to worry about. I will never cease to be amazed by the human beings' talents in creating new, dangerous systems to mess around with time. See you around, guys, I'm being called."

And one second later, he disappeared, leaving a big empty space in the room.

Radium added: "We should be going now, too. Are you coming, Jet?"

She replied: "In a minute. You go ahead."

When Radium also disappeared, Sapphire moved away from Steel, leaving Jet the privacy she knew was needed to say goodbye.

Jet sat down on the side of Steel's bed.

"Thank you for saving our lives."

He surprised Jet by taking her hand.

"You are very welcome. I enjoyed working with you again, except for the part where you died!"

She smiled at Steel affectionately.

"I could tell you that it was worth dying to see you cry for me, but it wouldn't be the truth. I prefer to be alive and go back to work. Radium is a very good partner, you know."

"I'm sure he is. The authority would never have teamed you with a lesser element."

He kissed her hand, and she teleported away. Sapphire took her place at Steel's side.

"Maybe this assignment helped Jet to finally accept her partnership with Radium."

Steel shook his head.

"I think she accepted it long ago. Working with me again probably just brought back old memories, but they are a great team."

"Just like us."

"We are something more than a great team."

She nodded.

"Yes. What we feel for each other runs deeper than just our partnership, although I wouldn't know how to call it."

Steel placed his hands on Sapphire's shoulders and pulled her closer, until their faces were only inches away.

"You have this peculiar human preoccupation with names. I prefer facts."

When his lips touched hers, he knew he had come home at last.

THE END

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